It’s been a long road back to play in a game as meaningful as Saturday’s Great American Conference battle between the Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys (5-3 overall, 3-2 GAC) and 19th-ranked Harding Bisons (6-1, 4-1), who will kick off at 2 p.m. at First Security Stadium in Searcy.

Late-season showdowns with conference title and postseason implications were regular events for the ATU football program during the decade from 1999-2009. The Wonder Boys made three NCAA Division II Playoffs appearances during that time, including a 9-3 season and a national quarterfinals postseason in 2009.

Then came back-to-back losing seasons, and a 1-3 start this season. But since then, Arkansas Tech has won four consecutive football games to give themselves a chance at a winning season and a high finish in the conference race.

“It’s very gratifying to be in this position,” Wonder Boys head coach Steve Mullins said. “It would have been easy to write us off after the way our season started, but I’m proud of the ability our coaches and players have shown to keep fighting and believing in each other.

“The character make-up of this team is extremely good. We know we have a great challenge in front of us. To make yourself a championship-caliber team, you need to win a game like the one we are about to play. It’s fun to be relevant and to be playing for something.”

For the Bisons, a win Saturday would allow them to maintain pressure on front-running Henderson State (8-0, 6-0) in the GAC standings. A victory would also keep Harding on track for its first berth in the national playoffs. The Bisons are ranked No. 3 in this week’s NCAA Division II Super Region 3 rankings. Six teams from Super Region 3 will advance to the postseason.

There are two major reasons why they’re in position to be among those six teams — they run the football, and they stop the run.

In an era when the majority of college football programs are utilizing some form of the spread or pro offense, the Bisons employ an old-fashioned, triple-option attack.

“Harding makes you play strict assignment football defensively,” Mullins said. “Many teams still utilize the option out of the spread, but you just don’t see the kind of quick and hard inside physical running threat that exists in the triple option. Defenders have to make quick decisions and get to their spots against Harding’s triple.

“Hopefully our defensive guys understand the tempo of the game, because it’s going to be fast and we will be facing an offense with lots of moving parts.”

Arkansas Tech ranks third in the GAC in passing offense (266.3 yards per game), and quarterback Tanner Marsh is 15th in NCAA Division II in total offense (311.1 yards per game).

Marsh has accounted for 19 of the Wonder Boys’ 29 offensive touchdowns this season. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes, had six touchdown runs and caught one touchdown pass.

ATU’s passing game will be tested the next two weeks by two of the top pass rushes in the GAC. Harding and the Wonder Boys’ opponent on Nov. 3 — East Central University — both have 20 or more quarterback sacks this season.

“Beginning with our practice on Sunday, we have really focused on the pure technique of pass blocking for our offensive line this week,” Mullins said. “Harding can create pressure with a four-man front, which makes your secondary that much better when you can drop seven into coverage. They want to get you in a position where you have to throw the football, and then they have a couple of defensive ends and a defensive tackle who can create havoc on every snap.”

Saturday will mark the 50th all-time football meeting between Arkansas Tech and Harding. The Wonder Boys hold a 30-19 edge in the series, which dates back to 1928.

Radio station KWKK 100.9 FM will have the broadcast, which will be streamed online at athletics.atu.edu.